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NOVI, MI (March 1, 2013) - Residents of Fox Run retirement community in Novi are learning about digital photography and applying their knowledge to their own lives in surprising ways. They have formed a Digital Photography Club and are now roaming parts of the greater Novi area with cameras in hand to document the people, places and events that play roles in their lives.
The club's members take photos with their cell phones or iPads, or with film, or with digital cameras. Members help one another, with the experience providing great camaraderie.
Some residents have not taken pictures in years, while others have been a part of the Photo Guild of Detroit. With a digital camera, members can even set their camera on a tripod and use a remote control to take photographs.
The club has established a Photobucket account to make its members' photos available to friends and family. In addition, the club plans to display its work in the community several times each year.
Chaplain/Community Outreach Coordinator Matt Humphrey is the club's unofficial mentor. He has taken more than 5,000 photos during the past three years - many of which are of his two young children . He enjoys working with the Fox Run club.
"We have a very smart population who seem to enjoy the challenge of learning, anything!," he said. "They have the time, resources, and inclination to take advantage of this wireless world that they live in. It just seemed natural to start this club now. I see cameras at every event that takes place in the community."
The club is now planning a photo shoot trip to a local church rich in architectural details, guided by a docent, and hopes to have a professional photographer join it to enhance the experience.
Digital photography allows Fox Run residents to take as many photographs as they would like and then weed out the ones that they don't want to keep.
Humphrey's role is to foster a learning and creative environment for residents to participate in photography as an art and increase community engagement. The club has planned an intense agenda for the upcoming months. In March it will learn how to upload digital files for storage. In April it will learn about composition. In May it will photograph the Fox Run Campus, and in June it will meet to show the photos taken from outings, enjoy each other's company and come up with the schedule for the remainder of the year."
"I am just there to guide the club to the point where it is fully up and running, and then I can just come out and enjoy the experience," said Humphrey.